Grilled Pineapple and Bananas with Lemonade Glaze

Use gas or hardwood charcoal when grilling fruits. Fruits absorb too much smoke flavor when grilled over wood or briquets. The trick to grilling fruit is to use fruits that are ripe but not overripe or too soft, then brush them with a glaze to bring out the sweetness. Turbinado is a natural, unrefined sugar; you can find that and cane syrup (a thick, sweet syrup used in Caribbean and Creole cooking; I use Steen's brand) at specialty markets, some grocery stores, or online. When you're grilling fruit and using a sugary glaze, it's most important to start out with a clean, oiled grill grate so the fruit is less likely to stick or taste of previously grilled foods.

Preparation

1. Make a lengthwise slice on the skin of each unpeeled banana chunk to allow easy peeling after bananas are grilled. Thread the fruit onto skewers, alternating chunks of banana and pineapple.

2. To make the glaze, put the sugar in a stainless-steel saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until it becomes liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon and add the lemon juice and zest. If using cane syrup, simply add the lemon juice with zest and stir, without heating. Set aside.

3. Fill a charcoal chimney with hardwood lump charcoal, set the chimney on the bottom grill grate, and light. When the coals are ready, dump them into the bottom of the grill and spread evenly. For a gas grill, turn to medium-high.

4. Brush the skewered fruits with the glaze. Place the skewers over direct heat. Grill 3 minutes on each side, until fruit is browned. Remove from grill and brush again with the glaze. Serve immediately.

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